Candle In the Wind
by Misha
Summary: The wizarding world says goodbye to a beloved hero.


Candle In the Wind   
By Misha 

Disclaimer- Everything belongs to J.K. Rowling and is not mine, however much I might wish differently. However, I am not making any money off of this, so please do not sue me! 

Author's Notes- More angst. What can I say, I really like angst. Besides, when I try writing fluff, people often end up saying that they miss the angst, so... Seriously, there'll be a lot of angst coming from me, more than usual even, because the last few months have been hard ones. I lost someone I loved very much and I don't feel very cheery, but at long last I **do** feel like writing, for a while I didn't, and I kind of hope that by pouring my pain into my work, it might absorb a little bit of it. So, I hope you understand where this story is coming from. It's character death, I kill off Harry, I have a tendency to do that. Not that I don't like Harry, he's one of my favorites. Perhaps that's why I kill him off, because it's more realistic and it's hurt more when it's a character you love. Anyway this is set to Elton John's "Candle in the Wind '97", since I thought it fit. Well, that's all for now, I hope you like it. 

Pairing- Some Harry/Hermione. 

Summery- The wizarding world says goodbye to a beloved hero. 

Rating- PG-13 

Spoilers- All five books.

* * *

_Goodbye England's Rose   
May you ever grow in our hearts.   
You were the grace that placed itself   
Where lives were torn apart.   
You called out to our country,   
And you whispered to those in pain.   
Now you belong to heaven,   
And the stars spell out your name._

It was the funeral of a century. 

The funeral of the wizarding world's greatest hero. Harry James Potter, dead at the age of seventeen. 

He had fulfilled the promise of his birth and defeated Voldemort, but at a high price. 

His own life. 

His death threw the wizarding world into mourning, when otherwise they would have been celebrating. 

The war was over, but no one felt joyful, for all grieved Harry Potter. 

Thousands turned up to say goodbye to him. The crowd was solemn, respectful, honestly mournful. 

There were a few who turned up to catch the spectacle, the press was in attendance, but mainly those gathered truly mourned the fallen young man. 

He had been their light in the darkest of times, he had held them all together, and in the end he had delivered peace at the cost of his own life. It would have been impossible for his funeral not to be a public event. 

_And it seems to me you lived your life   
Like a candle in the wind:   
Never fading with the sunset   
When the rain set in.   
And your footsteps will always fall here,   
Along England's greenest hills;   
Your candle's burned out long before   
Your legend ever will._

Seventeen years. 

It was far too few. Everyone commented on that. Whispered amongst themselves what a shame it was that he never got to be more than a boy. A child. 

But, those who knew him best, wondered if he had ever been a child. 

His childhood had not been happy and then at the tender age of eleven he had been thrust into the spotlight, into the role of hero. 

He had lived up to everyone's expectations, fulfilling the role with an ease that only those closest to him knew was forced. 

He never wavered, never seemed to falter. He understood what the wizarding world needed him to be and he did his best, turning himself into a legend in the process. 

He would be spoken of with reverence for all time. His life had been brief, but unforgettable. 

Like a star that only burned briefly, but brighter than any other. 

That was Harry Potter. 

_Loveliness we've lost;   
These empty days without your smile.   
This torch we'll always carry   
For our nation's golden child.   
And even though we try,   
The truth brings us to tears;   
All our words cannot express   
The joy you brought us through the years._

At the funeral, the eyes of all present were focused on one woman. Little more than a girl, really. 

Thin and pale with hollow cheeks and sunken eyes. She clung to the arm of a young man with red hair and sorrowful eyes. 

They watched her and tried to imagine her sorrow. But they couldn't. 

Still, they admired her for staying strong. She sat there, like stone, holding herself together as the wizarding world's hero was eulogized. 

The service was long, with remembrances and ritual, and she sat there the entire time, her demeanor strong, but pained. 

Finally, at the end, she stood and addressed all those gathered. 

"I wasn't going to speak today." She said softly. "But, I decided I owed it to Harry. There are no words that can describe him. Harry was the most special person I ever met. I always knew that he was destined for greatness, I think everyone did. But, much has been said about Harry Potter, the hero, perhaps, too much." 

She paused, her eyes sad, but her voice calm. 

"I want to tell you about Harry Potter, the young man. The friend, the surrogate son, the lover." She said softly, smiling sadly at the last word. "Harry would do anything for the people he loved. He was kind and generous, always there for you. Even in the darkest of times, you always believed in Harry. There was something about him that filled you with hope." 

She paused again, as if contemplating her words. 

"I was eleven when we met and I can't imagine what my life would have been had he not been in it." She continued after a moment. "For seven years Harry was my best friend and for two of those years, he was all the boy I loved. Loving Harry was something I can't even describe, it was as natural for me as breathing. I can't imagine having not loved him." 

Her composure finally slipped and tears glistened. 

"We've all lost something precious from our lives now that Harry's gone." She said after a moment. "There will never be anyone else like him and I know I'm not alone when I say he will be missed." 

With that, she hurried back to her seat, aware of all the eyes on her. 

The service wrapped up and a few minutes later, she exited, with her friend's arm around her waist and the eyes of thousands on her back. 

Those present were filled with admiration for Hermione Granger, for her strength in the face of unimaginable loss. 

But there were some present who envied her, even then. Because, she had known the love of an incredible young man, if only for a moment. 

_Goodbye England's Rose,   
From a country lost without your soul,   
Who'll miss the wings of your compassion   
More than you'll ever know._

The burial was private. Only those that loved him best were present as Harry James Potter was laid into the earth beside his parents. 

Hermione had insisted on that. 

She knew she had to share her grief with the world, but this she couldn't bear to share. 

Like the crowds that had been gathered earlier, those gathered at Harry's grave were overwhelmed with grief. 

Even more so, for they had all known him personally and loved him deeply. They could not imagine their lives with out him, without his warmth and his compassion. 

Harry had changed all their lives, by simply being there. 

There weren't many people like Harry, so selfless, kind and loyal. People who would do anything for those they loved and never asked for anything in return. 

It was those qualities that made him the wizarding world's hero, but also had made him so precious to those around him. They had seen him as more than a hero and had loved him even more for the vulnerability they had seen in him. 

Outside the small cemetery, the world was mourning the Boy Who Lived, but these few people were mourning something much more precious. 

They were mourning Harry. 

Still, the grief was the same, and so was the realization that something precious had been lost. 

Something that would never be returned. 

The End 


End file.
